Autumn colors frame a solitary jogger on one of the many trails through Schenley Park.
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Soldiers and Sailors Hall
Henry Hornbostel designed this memorial, which originally honored Civil War veterans from Allegheny County. It now honors veterans of all wars. This is one of at least half a dozen buildings in Pittsburgh inspired by the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and of all of them this one is the closest in scale to the original.
America, by Charles Keck, keeps watch over the main entrance.
A soldier: Parade Rest by Frederick Hibbard.
A sailor: Lookout, also by Frederick Hibbard.
Supposedly Mr. Hornbostel very much wanted the front of the building to face a long vista from Fifth Avenue, but the clients were very insistent that the front must face Bigelow Boulevard. Hornbostel finally had to agree. It was not until construction was considerably advanced on the building, which is quite square, that the clients discovered Hornbostel had built the thing his way after all.
Among the building’s many treasures is a large auditorium that seats 2500—about the same capacity as Heinz Hall. The Pittsburgh Symphony made some early ultra-hi-fi recordings in here, because William Steinberg thought the acoustics were far superior to what he heard in Syria Mosque across the street, which at that time was the usual home of the Pittsburgh Symphony.
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Squirrel in Schenley Park
From his fortress high in the branches, this squirrel looks down with suspicion and scolds a long zoom lens.
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Christopher Columbus
The Columbus memorial by Frank Vittor, in Schenley Park at the end of the Junction Hollow Bridge, is heroic and more than a little Art Deco. A historical marker nearby tells us a little about the artist, who was Pittsburgh’s favorite monumental sculptor for decades.
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James B. Oliver Monument, Allegheny Cemetery
An unusual bronze monument with a wealth of detail. Father Pitt has uploaded this picture at 2-megapixel resolution; click on the picture to enlarge it.
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Lobby of Heinz Hall
Heinz Hall, the former Loew’s Penn movie palace, brings a little taste of pre-revolutionary Versailles to the theater district downtown. These low-light snapshots are a bit grainy, but they convey something of the opulence of the interior.
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White Oak Farm
White Oak Farm, a picturesque old farm in the middle of suburban Allison Park, is used for various events, including a recent chile festival (of all things), during which Father Pitt found time to wander off and snap this picture.
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Squaw Run, Fox Chapel
Two views of the Squaw Run, swollen from yesterday’s rain, as it flows past Salamander Park in Fox Chapel.
